Chapter 40 802.1x configuration, 1 introduction to 802.1x, 1 the authentication structure of 802.1x – QTECH QSW-3400 Инструкция по настройке User Manual

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Chapter 40 802.1x Configuration

40.1 Introduction to 802.1x

The 802.1x protocol originates from 802.11 protocol, the wireless LAN protocol of IEEE, which

is designed to provide a solution to doing authentication when users access a wireless LAN.

The LAN defined in IEEE 802 LAN protocol does not provide access authentication, which

means as long as the users can access a LAN controlling device (such as a LAN Switch), they

will be able to get all the devices or resources in the LAN. There was no looming danger in the

environment of LAN in those primary enterprise networks.

However, along with the boom of applications like mobile office and service operating networks,

the service providers should control and configure the access from user. The prevailing

application of WLAN and LAN access in telecommunication networks, in particular, make it

necessary to control ports in order to implement the user-level access control. And as a result,

IEEE LAN/WAN committee defined a standard, which is 802.1x, to do Port-Based Network

Access Control. This standard has been widely used in wireless LAN and ethernet.
“Port-Based Network Access Control” means to authenticate and control the user devices on

the level of ports of LAN access devices. Only when the user devices connected to the ports

pass the authentication, can they access the resources in the LAN, otherwise, the resources in
the LAN won’t be available.

40.1.1 The Authentication Structure of 802.1x

The system using 802.1x has a typical Client/Server structure, which contains three entities

(as illustrated in the next figure): Supplicant system, Authenticator system, and Authentication

server system.

The Authentication Structure of 802.1x

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